“Bar Hunter” Game Combines Fishing And AR Monster Hunting

The bad news is, Bakutsuri Bar Hunter isn’t an exciting new way to find pubs. The good news? It’s a cool AR game that blends fishing, monster hunting, and shopping. And (at least in Japan) it’ll be ready to play this spring!

Fish The Barcode Sea

(Source: ga-m.com)

In the world of Bakutsuri Bar Hunter, there’s a world of untapped life in a digital space called the Barcode Sea. There, creatures called “Bar Souls” swim around for the catching. And that’s where you come in.

The game consists of downloaded software and an apparatus called a “Bar Rod” that turns your 3DS into an augmented reality fishing game. As for where the Bar Souls come from? Grab a product and scan the barcode!

When a Bar Soul is in range — that is, once you’ve scanned a barcode — you’ll see it pop up on your screen, swimming around in the Barcode Sea. Then cast your line and reel it in, just like you would a handheld fishing game.

We’ve seen a few of the potential Bar Souls, with designs ranging from stapler fish to potato chip ducks. As for a full list of what’s swimming out there, we’ll probably just have to wait and see!

Reading Material

(Source: bbh.b-boys.jp)

Of course, every video game has to have a tie-in! CoroCoro Comics will run the Bakutsuri Bar Hunter manga, so players can learn the story behind the game.

Never heard of CoroCoro Comics? You’ve definitely benefited from their influence. The kids’ manga collection runs children’s classics like Doraemon — but they also specialize in tie-ins. Their most successful collaboration? Pokémon! Back when it was just a little video game, the reigning king of monster-hunter franchises got a popularity boost from its CoroCoro tie-in.

Bakutsuri Bar Hunter will be kicking off in the April issue, which hits newsstands in March — and that’s just in time for the game release!

Bar Hunter hit the streets March 17th, so young monster hunters can start fishing the Barcode Sea!